GI Joe: Operation In Bloom
by FanWriterWV
Summary: Cobra has a plan for taking advantage of the Spring season, if G.I. Joe can't stop them first. Cartoon-based.


G

_**G.I. JOE: OPERATION IN BLOOM**_

_COBRA ISLAND_

"Who in the world are those for?" Anastasia DeCobray, AKA The Baroness, sniffed as Dr. Mindbender walked down the corridor with several roses. She noticed that they looked normal, except for their colors-green, orange, and light brown.

"A specific request by The Commander," Mindbender smugly replied. "Don't worry-it's not what you think. It's part of the Commander's latest plan to bring the Americans and their allies to their knees!"

"Cobra Commander always has a plan to bring the Americans to their knees," The Baroness complained. "What makes this one so different?"

"Sniff one of the roses, my dear," Mindbender offered her the orange one.

Anastasia shrugged. She lowered her nose over the flower, lightly inhaled…

The corridor seemed to spin around her. Startled, Anastasia stepped back until her head cleared. "What on Earth did you put in those things?"

Mindbender chuckled. "A little something I thought of last Easter. Remember those poppies in 'The Wizard of Oz?'"

Anastasia's eyes widened. "You're telling me you got your latest plan from a movie?"

Mindbender looked peeved. "What's so unbelievable about that? It's no more or less preposterous than some of the other schemes the Commander has dreamed up. Besides, this one actually has a chance of working."

"What are you babbling about?"

"Come with me to the Commander's throne room and I'll explain…"

"…So you see, Commander, with spring in the air and women's' thoughts turning to flights of fancy, as it were, I created this enhanced pheromone which is released upon contact with female breath-and only with female breath. Men are not affected."

"I see," Cobra Commander mused. "So…we sell these through the usual dummy companies and get the world's female population under our control without having to fire a single shot!" The Commander laughed. "Yes, Mindbender! Have Xamot and Tomax implement this plan at once!"

_THE PIT-CLASSIFIED LOCATION_

"So, have you and Shipwreck settled on where we're going to double-date tonight?" Shana O'Hara, codenamed Scarlett, asked Courtney Kreiger, AKA Cover Girl. They had just come from a round of hand-to-hand training with Lady Jaye and Beachhead and were both in the mood for some light conversation.

"Hector wants to go to this new restaurant he discovered-seafood, of course. But quite frankly, I'm the mood for some good old-fashioned steak or even just a cheeseburger."

Scarlett laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Working out with Alison can give anyone an appetite."

On the way to the women's barracks, they were interrupted by a Greenshirt carrying two packages of long-stemmed roses. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a green rose before," cover Girl said. "Who are these from, soldier?"

"I'm not sure, Ma'am, they were dropped off by special courier and have your real names on them. Looks like you two have secret admirers…ma'am."

"This has to be one of Duke's ideas," Scarlett grimaced. "He knows I hate this romantic nonsense." They both instinctively sniffed the roses…

_FLINT'S OFFICE_

"What do you mean, they're missing?" Flint looked at Duke with raised eyebrows. "Scarlett, Cover Girl, and Lady Jaye just wouldn't go somewhere while they were technically still on duty without telling anyone."

"Yeah, I know. Stalker and Beachhead are already out looking for them at their usual off-duty haunts." Conrad Hauser scowled. "Shana and I were supposed to double-date tonight, and she knew that. Shipwreck's really worried about Courtney, but I told him it was better if he let us handle this. I hate to say it…but I smell snakes."

"Who were the last people to see them?"

"A couple of Greenshirts who delivered some odd-looking roses. It wasn't their fault; they thought they were following orders."

"Where did these roses come from?" Flint demanded.

"From some outfit called Serpentine Flowers. I had Mainframe run a check on them through his…source…in Cobra; it turned out to be a phony company, of course."

"Well, then I guess this ties in with what General Hawk told me before you came in here. It seems there's a new breed of genetically engineered roses that have become quite popular with the ladies. I guess now we know why."

"Trying to brainwash us is one thing," Duke commented. "But going after our women…that's low, even by Cobra's standards."

"Well, I guess they figured it was easier to go after them than us." In spite of himself, Flint almost grinned. "And Lady Jaye calls _me _a chauvinist." He stood up. "All right, let's get going. Tell Mainframe he can keep using his…contact…for as long as he has to."

Duke nodded; they both knew who Mainframe's "Friend" was, and they'd both spoken up on Mainframe's behalf to Hawk in order to keep the relationship going. They could only hope that Mainframe's "Friend" wouldn't become among those affected by the strange new roses.

_JOE'S DINER_

For a while they talked as if it were old times; Zarana in her latest disguise and Mainframe, known to his close friends-among whom he counted the woman sitting across from him-as Blaine Parker-in his civilian clothes so they would be harder to recognize in case her brother sent Zandar snooping around. But eventually it was time to get down to business.

"All I know is what Zartan told me-and that wasn't much. You know he still doesn't trust me." Zarana looked down at the table.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that. But you know these flowers are dangerous. From what we've learned they could cause permanent brain damage. So…anything you can tell me would be a great help."

"Well, there was one thing Zartan kept mentioning. He kept complaining about all the truck deliveries he and the other Dreadnoks have been making over the past few days. But not to flower shops-to airports."

Mainframe's eyes widened. "Airports? Zarana, did he happen to say which ones?"

_REGIONAL AIRPORT, DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA_

"That's the last of 'em," Buzzer grunted as he and Torch closed the delivery truck's door. "I hope the boss is satisfied-those bleedin' flowers were giving me allergies."

"That's not the only thing that'll be bleeding if you try anything," an amplified voice rang out across the airport tarmac. "Now step away from the truck and no one has to get hurt."

"Up yours, Joe!" Buzzer cried as he raised his chainsaw.

"I was hopin' you'd be dumb enough to try something like that," Roadblock said as he and Gung Ho grabbed the two bikers from behind.

"Sneaking up from behind? That ain't fair!" Torch whined as he and the rest of the biker gang members were rounded up by Greenshirt reserves.

"Well, that takes care of the flowers," Duke said as he and Scarlett oversaw their confiscation, with help from DEA agents.

"Eh, flowers aren't my thing anyway. Now, if you'd sent me a new crossbow…"

Duke rolled his eyes.

THE END


End file.
